Having recently read the first novel in this series - epic bestseller "The Burning Chambers" - I feel very at home with protagonist Minou's extended family. "The City of Tears" expands their story beautifully. Kate Mosse's diverse cast of characters are incredibly well-drawn. I particularly love the fact that Mosse places generations of strong female characters front and centre. Much of the plot concerns the Wars of Religion in 16th century France. I had no prior knowledge of the subject, despite being raised Roman Catholic. I found the detail shocking, as surely war defies the very tenets of religion? Though I suppose that's a tale as old as time itself. Kate Mosse is clearly very knowledgeable about the subject and you could easily spend hours supplementing reading her work by diving down rabbit holes on Google to learn more. It's all so interesting and has really fuelled my thirst for knowledge. Mosse brings each of her settings to life in vivid colour. In this sequel, she takes us to Franschoek, Puivert, Amsterdam, Paris and Chartres. Her descriptions draw the reader deep into the narrative and I've loved learning about each location. The final chapters left me breathless. It's books (and series') like this for which 5 star ratings were invented. Superb!

This is the second book in The Burning Chambers series and it was just as exciting and powerful as the first book. There is drama, persecution, mystery, murder and revenge.

The first part of the story begins at a slow pace as the scene is set and you revisit some events that happened in the previous book. You could read this as a stand alone but I would highly recommend you read the first book so you have more of a depth of knowledge of each character and previous events.

This book is all about grief and resilience. How these people in 16th century France and Amsterdam managed to carry on living and persevering through the awful wars and unrest I really just cannot imagine. The strength in character of Minou in particular is so admirable. I felt her pain of losing loved ones was so palpable and the desperation to keep her family together.

For fans of historical fiction, this series really isn’t one to miss out on. Kate Mosse truly is one of the best authors around and is at her best in this book.

Minou has come through the worst of the religious wars around Carcassone but still there is not religious tolerance. She and her husband Piet travel to Paris for the wedding of Henri of Navarre to Margot, daughter of the King. However the catholic faction are opposed to this union and the Duke Of Guise orders the assignation of a prominent Huguenot leading to a massacre. The Reydon's escape but lose all including their daughter Marta but make a new life in Amsterdam. However Piet's nemesis Vidal is still on their trail and they are never safe.
This is the second in a proposed quintet and I enjoyed it more than the first. Possibly because the majority of the setting is around the events of St Bartholomew's Day and 'La Reine Margot' is one of my favourite books. I felt that the initial chapter set in South Africa was unnecessary, it was not returned to and was not referenced at all. Whilst it was link with the first book and presumably part of the thread throughout the five novels it was pretty isolated here. However for the rest, Mosse is getting into her stride and this is more like pure historical fiction rather than the slightly magical earlier novels which I didn't find as convincing.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Mantle for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The City of Tears’ by Kate Mosse in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in Mosse’s The Burning Chambers series set in France and the Netherlands during the late 16th Century. While some background is provided on the events in ‘The Burning Chambers’, I would suggest that it is best to read them in order to get a full appreciation of the characters.

In order to avoid spoilers for the first book, I will only touch on the plot in general terms.

The novel opens in June 1572. For ten years the Wars of Religion have raged across France, tearing the country apart at the cost of many lives. Now in order to bring peace Catherine de’ Medici, the Queen Mother, has negotiated with Jeanne d'Albret a royal marriage between Catherine’s daughter, Marguerite de Valois, and Henri, the Huguenot king of Navarre. It is a marriage that could see France reunited at last.

Mosse reintroduces her characters and the changes in their lives since the final chapters of ‘The Burning Chambers’. It isn’t long until they receive an invitation to attend the Royal Wedding in in Paris. Mosse then cleverly places various of her characters to serve as witnesses to events that follow including the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre that destroys the fragile hopes of peace. Against the backdrop of history Mosse also stresses the bonds of family and friendship.

Again, I am cautious of spoilers though will quote the publishers that it is a: “novel of revenge, persecution and loss, the action sweeps from Paris and Chartres to the city of tears itself, Amsterdam.”

Kate Mosse is a wonderful storyteller who I find always draws me completely into the lives of her characters as well as the period setting.

The quality of her writing is superb and is backed up by her impeccable historical research. As a result, I found myself completely swept up in the narrative from the start through to its Epilogue. It is a series that I am totally committed to and will eagerly await the next book in the series.

Overall, I feel that Kate Mosse has produced another excellent work of historical fiction adding to her already impressive oeuvre.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

The second part of Kate Mosse's The Burning Chambers series is an epic thrilling adventure centered around the French religious Wars between Catholics and Huguenot of the late 1500's. I liked the first part, but enjoyed this one more. I fell that it flowed better. This is a long book, coming in at 608 pages. However, I hardly noticed it. It was perfectly paced with ever increasing tension & peril, leading up to the cliffhanger ending. Kate Mosse has a way of telling us about some of the darkest moments in history without descending into misery and despair.

I can't wait to read part three and find out how this South Africa fits in to all of this!

The City of Tears is the second instalment in the sprawling five-book (The) Burning Chambers series and continues this stunning and enthralling historical fiction epic exploring the history of Huguenot refugees in Europe. It's a decade after the events in the first book and many things have changed. It's August, 1572, and Minou Joubert (aka Marguerite Reydon-Joubert, Châtelaine of Puiver) is now married to Piet Reydon, a Huguenot soldier and has birthed two children - seven year old Marta and toddler Jean-Jacques. The pair leave behind the serenity of Puivert in Languedoc and travel to Paris to celebrate the royal wedding of Charles IX’s sister, Catholic Marguerite de Valois, and Protestant Henry III of Navarre, the first Bourbon King of France, intended to bring peace to France after a decade of brutal and bloody religious war and unite the divided country. However, once there they become aware that Piet's friend turned enemy Vidal, who is now a Catholic cardinal is also in the city. Alongside the Duke of Guise and other renegade Catholics, Vidal is planning to strike when important Huguenot's are in town to witness the wedding. But predictably the violence spreads into what is now known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in which thousands of Protestant Huguenots were slaughtered in the streets on the orders of the French king. In the chaos and desperation to escape Paris, young Marta disappears. In exile from France, they establish a new life in Amsterdam, but not knowing their daughters fate begins to impact their marriage considerably.

This is a compulsive, thrilling and richly described piece of escapism which explores France's darkest moments and moves at a fast pace with plenty of action and adventure alongside the more disturbing happenings. Not only does it tell us about the state of the country and secularism but it probes the topics of love and how families survive against the backdrop of war, displacement and tragedy but is ultimately a story about the most notorious engagement of the religious wars in France - the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre - when on the 24th August thousands of people were murdered, executed and tried to flee to safety. It all makes for a harrowing and heart thumping read and one you can tell has been extensively researched by a writer so passionate about this subject. It's exquisitely written and the backstories of the characters we've grown to either know and love or despise are given more depth throughout the narrative. Mosse brings to life the terrors and perils of the times and the nature of life within a country still fighting for its values with trauma and tragedy present around every corner. It's a thrilling tour de force from an inimitable author who can be relied to provide everything her readers desire and a narrative packed full of: thrills, danger, drama, emotion, action, tragedy and so much more. Undoubtedly, one of the finest writers of historical fiction today. This is a book I cannot recommend highly enough to those who've been loving this series as there is more of the same riveting plot lines here throughout. Simply superb.

Thanks to NetGalley, I’ve been able to read this stunning novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, which continues on from ‘The Burning Chambers’, but could have easily have been read as a stand-alone book. It was well written, embedded in the historical facts of the time, such as the St Bartholemew’s Day Massacre. The central characters are alive to the reader, and I found it a page-turner. I will be recommending to my friends and family who love historical fiction!

I very much enjoyed reading The City of Tears. I have not read the Burning Chambers and I did not feel as though I was missing part of the story but having enjoyed so much this novel, I have now embarked into the Burning Chamber too. The book is superbly written and researched. The reader feels totally immersed in 16th Century France and Amsterdam, with all the dramatic events that occurred due to the tensions between Catholics and Huguenots, fights for power and influence, and the hunt for precious relics. The characters are strong, interesting and depicted with a beautiful writing that brings them to life. The plot is very good and, after a start where the reader needs to take in quite a lot of details, it is woven through the whole book until the last sentence. A really excellent historical novel. Looking forward to the third book now.
Many thanks to Netgalley, to the publisher Pan MacMillan and to the author Kate Mosse, for the advanced readers copy of this great book.

Kate Mosse captivated me from the first to the last page of The City of Tears. Her writing truly transports you to 16th Century France and Amsterdam, the story is told from the perspective of various people in the story so you get to feel what it was like on both the Huguenot and Catholic sides. The story is a little complicated to follow at the start, but as you get to know the characters it is much easier. I have not read The Burning Chambers and I don't think this affected my enjoyment of The City of Tears, I am now intrigued to read The Burning Chambers and cannot wait for the final book in this trilogy.

If you are a fan of historical fiction this definitely should be on your reading list.

I was given a copy of The City of Tears by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This book was just as good if not better than the first book in this series, The Burning Chambers. Once I started this book I was completely Immersed in this wonderful story of historical Fiction. Kate Mosse is such a talented writer and her descriptions throughout this book were excellent. A book deep in medieval fiction that will leave you wanting to read more,. 5🌟

There's nothing I love more than historical fiction and The City of Tears was exceptional.

As this is the sequel to The Burning Chambers, there is only so much plot to discuss without giving away too many spoilers. However, this story navigates 16th Century France and the religious turmoil embroiling the country. As with Mosse's other works, her writing is as flawless as it is utterly gripping. As a self-confessed history nerd the level of research and detail has made me very happy.

A must-read for 2021.

Review of The City of Tears by Kate Mosse


I got the City of Tears by Kate Mosse for free from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.


The City of Tears, is the sequel to The Burning Chambers, which are the first, two books in the Trilogy The Burning Chambers.

The novel starts in August 1572: Minou Joubert and her family are in Paris for a Royal Wedding, an alliance between the Catholic Crown and the Huguenot King of Navarre intended to bring peace to France after a decade of religious wars. So too is their oldest enemy, Vidal, still in pursuit of a relic that will change the course of history. But within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the streets and Minou’s beloved family will be scattered to the four winds . . .

Once again Kate Mosse takes us to the religious wars in France during the late 16th Century, when the country was divided between the Catholic and Protestent Churches. The novel once again is set around Minou and her family.

As this is the second book in the series I will limit the review to the style of the book rather than the plot lines so there are no spoilers.

Like all Kate Mosse’s books The City of Tears is a really enjoyable read, from the ease that she brings the reader gentle reminders of what happened in The Burning Chambers the first book in the series, which allows us as readers to get into the story once again.

In addition with this being an historical novel dealing with the Religious Wars of 17th Century France, Like many of the readers i know some of this time period, but with brief history of the time which the book covers, to the way that the story unfolds you get to know how this book fits in to the time period.

The story is written in the first person all the way through the book, however the person whose eyes you are seeing the world changes from one person to another, which allows the plot to run smoothly all the way through the book.

While each chapter may contain a number of different perspectives, the change over from one pearsons view to another was usually very easy to follow. There were only a couple of times that I had to go back and check when I was unsure of whose perspective I was reading at the time.

What I liked about this novel Is that it shows what the writer Kate Mosse, is really good by taking a conflict based around people's beliefs, which has a profound effect on an area or a country and humanises it, by taking it down to the individual level and seeing how it affects people's everyday lives.

In conclusion, once again the writer has brought a really great read to her current and future readers, so if you have read the first book in the series then of course this book should be on your TBR, if you have not then unfortunately both books should be added toyour TBR.

I should have read the Burning Chambers first.
I found this book to be long and complex.
Set in the 1950's it is the story or wars between protestants and Catholics. The events take place in Amsterdam and Paris. The historical facts are well researched and portrayed, also the domestic detail is fascinating. I did find the different factions confusing at times.
Lots of family interaction, excitement ambition and intrigue ,
There are a lot of characters but a list is given at the beginning of the book to refer back to.
My lasting impression is a story of deep abiding love between a couple and the heart breaking loss of their daughter.

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Once again the Author skilfully blends fictitious characters with genuine historical figures and actual events to produce a quality read. Atmospheric descriptive imaginative and masterful storytelling. Well written and researched interesting from first to last page with an open ending for book three. Not as much action as book one but plenty of mystery and plot twists to keep the reader entertained. One slight complaint as in book one this story sees a second member of our heroine 'Minou's' family turn out to have a rich unknown benefactor.
Recommended.

This is another fabulous work of historical fiction from Kate Mosse. It follows on from The Burning Chambers which was the first of her trilogy set in France at the time of the Wars of Religion. We meet the principal characters of that novel, Piet and Minou, settled in her family chateau with young children and various members of her family. An invitation arrives inviting them to the royal wedding that is hoped will bring together the Huguenots and Catholics. In deciding to accept and travel to Paris to attend, little do they know the chain of disasters that will behalf them and mean they may never see home again.
Kate Mosse writes so vividly and intelligently, and her research is unparalleled. She is such a wonderful storyteller that you leap into her books and simply don’t want to climb out again till the last page. This was another great chapter in this trilogy, often tragic and brutal when showing the results of war, yet heartwarming and life affirming too. I can’t wait for the final novel in this series.
Thank you #netgalley and #panmacmillan for allowing me to review this ARC

This is the second installment following Minou and her family, and what a rollercoaster of a story! Set between 1572 and 1594 in France and Amsterdam, it details the ongoing struggles between Huguenots and Catholics with a focus on the lives of very relatable characters.

If you have any interest in historical fiction, I could not recommend this book more.

The entire story, including the almost frustratingly intriguing prologue (continued from the series first book, the Burning Chambers) that means I will be waiting very impatiently for the next book in this series.

The city of tears is beautifully written, vivid in it's descriptions of the historic locations in which its events take place. Kate Mosse takes us on a journey from France to Amsterdam and makes us fall in love all over again, with the characters, with the location, with her vision of the past.

This novel starts off with Minou and Piet where we left them at the end of The Burning Chambers and follows their journey to Paris for the royal wedding. They get caught in the massacre of St Bartholomew's day and lose someone very close to them in a heartbreaking scene.

They then take up residence in Amsterdam, where they are in search of a piece of information pertaining to Piet's past. Once found, this information could change their lives forever.

In the kind of marvelous writing that is unique to Kate Mosse, she takes us on a beautiful journey filled with love and loss and once again, the comfort that only family can provide.

Well worth the read if you're a fan of well researched historical fiction.

I was slightly hamstrung by this not being a genre I usually read in however, that being said, I found this was a good read. I only found it was a '2nd' book after I'd started, so perhaps that was part ofmy problem? The author is fantastic at her description though and a master of historical research. Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for the review copy!

This is the second book in the burning chambers series and the first book I’ve read by Kate Mosse. It was a little confusing in the beginning as there was a lot of characters introduced early on, but I soon settled into the story.
Its August 1572. Minou, Piet and their family travel to Paris for a royal wedding. To witness an alliance of Catholic crown and Huguenot king of Navarre and hopefully bring to an end a decade of religious wars in France.
Also in Paris, is their oldest enemy Vidal. He’s collecting ancient relics and has a plan to change the course of history.
Minou and Piet’s daughter, 7 year old Marta heads off exploring alone. The leader of the Huguenots has been murdered, so all hell breaks loose through the streets of Paris and she goes missing.
I couldn’t put this book down, it was a long read, but so detailed and educational. It had me gripped from very early on. I was so invested in the characters and it was a roller coaster of emotions. The writing is just so good! I must read more from Kate Mosse.
I highly recommend this work of historical fiction!
#netgalley #thecityoftears

I have read all of this authors books including The Burning Chambers which is the sequel to this book. This historical novel, set between France and Holland, is a great read following the family’s losses in France and Amsterdam. Recommended to all Kate Moss fans and those who like a great historical read.